₦airaland Forum

I love the rapid response of the army this time around!

About 24 hours after Boko Haram terrorists invaded and took over
the town of Chibok in Borno State, soldiers of the 7 Division Nigeria
army had yesterday moved in and retrieved the seized community
after a fierce battle that dislodged the insurgents, sources said.
According to villagers around Chibok town, a large deployment of
soldiers were seen moving in from the direction of Damboa on
Saturday morning.
“We saw large number of trucks filled with uniformed personnel
moving towards Chibok; initially, we were scared but later realised
they were soldiers as they did not harass us like the Boko Haram
gunmen usually do”, said the source who spoke on phone.
The source said they continued to hear sounds of gun shots and
explosion echoing in from the direction of Chibok.
A top military source, who doesn’t wish to be named also
confirmed the development to LEADERSHIP Sunday on phone.
“We have taken back Chibok town from the insurgents after some
few hours of engagement with them. We have since sent them
parking from the town; it is now safe for people to return to their
homes”.
The security source declined going into details of how the operation
went and the possible number of casualty possibly recorded.

leadership.ng/news/390580/soldiers-reclaim-seized-chibok-town

The good thing is Ohanaeze is not sounding like a a rubber stamp organisation. If GEJ wants anybody's support, he has to earn it. For now, he seems to be competing on how best to piss Nigerians off!

ENUGU — The apex Igbo socio-cultural group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo,
yesterday, failed to endorse President Goodluck Jonathan for re-
election in 2015.
Although the motion for the adoption of President Jonathan was
moved at the flour of the meeting, it was shut down by majority of
Igbo leaders.
Speaking with newsmen, Senator Chris Ngige, representing Anambra
central senatorial zone said,”we have agreed to insulate Ohanaeze
from partisan politics.
“We will support no presidential candidate. We will be neutral
because Ohanaeze is made up of people from diverse political
parties. People who belong to parties should go to their parties and
canvass for their own candidates. They can talk to Nigerians from
their own political parties and not from Ohanaeze.
“They will be doing so from the standpoint of their party and not
from Ohanaeze. The endorsement will not be obtainable. That is our
agreement.”

www.vanguardngr.com/2014/11/ohanaeze-fails-endorse-jonathan/

Tolexander:
correct the boldened part

Tanx for the correction

iamodenigbo1:
NICE ONE BUT

What's the "but" bro....

The capital Abuja is located at the centre of the country. One of the few cities in the world built from scratch.

19. Everything Else
* Ebola Free – That’s right! The World Health Organization has
declared Nigeria free of the virus.

18. Billionaires
Of the 9 black billionaires in the 2014 Forbes list, 4 are Nigerian.

17. Happy People
According to research done every year, Nigerians consistently rank
high as some of the worlds happiest , most optimistic and hopeful
people! The country is certainly no disneyland, however, after seeing
and living through some of life’s worst…hope is what keeps them
moving forward. Not sure what Forbes was thinking….but good
thing they aren’t considered people experts…stick to numbers! Now
see below!

16. Party! Party! Party!
If you’ve never been to a Nigerian party…you should probably add
that to your bucket list! The first step would be getting a Nigerian
friend (we’re everywhere…shouldn’t be too difficult). Until you’ve
experienced what it’s like to begin a party at 6pm (scheduled for
4pm) till you the venue forces you to leave….you haven’t lived!
Nigerians take pride in their culture, and the fellowship (party) that
takes place after church, a wedding, or just a get together is truly
remarkable. Bring your dancing shoes, and be prepared to meet a
lot of “Aunties & Uncles”

15. Mobile phone love affair
There are over 120 million mobile phone subscribers in Nigeria,
although many people will have two or three subscriptions to deal
with the terrible service. At any rate, this number puts if far ahead of
any other country in Africa (Egypt has 93 million). Dare we say
Nigerians love to talk?

14. What’s in a name?
Nigeria takes its name from the River Niger, which flows through the
country. Its official name is the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

13. Oil rich/poor
Nigeria is the 12th largest crude oil producer in the world (and the
largest in Africa), and the 18th largest exporter. Export of petroleum
accounts for around 85% of the government’s revenue. Oil was only
discovered in 1956, and today Port Harcourt is at the forefront of the
oil industry in Nigeria. You would think this would make for a
fabulously wealthy nation, like Saudi Arabia, but sadly the oil wealth
has not trickled down to the average Nigerian and the inhabitants of
the Niger Delta are some of the poorest in the country.

12. Some of the oldest humans
Archaeological evidence indicates that humans lived in Nigeria as far
back as 9000 BC, making it one of the oldest spots on earth for
human settlement. The Nok civilisation (500 BC – 200 AD) is the
oldest known civilisation in Nigeria.

11. Longest River
Although the river itself rises in the highlands of Guinea before
skirting through Mali and Niger, Nigeria is home to most of the
Niger River, which is the longest river in West Africa at 4,180km
(and the third longest in Africa). It empties into the Gulf of Guinea
after spreading its rich soil through the Niger Delta (where it joins
up with the Benue River).

10. Nigerians Love Champagne
Bubbly is seriously popular in Nigeria: in 2013 the beverage retailer
Shoprite reportedly sold more Moet & Chandon champagne in its
seven Nigerian branches than it did in its 600 South African stores
combined. This is most likely due to Nigeria’s growing wealth: a
recent survey ranked Lagos third in Africa (after Johannesburg and
Cairo) in terms of number of millionaires per capita. These nouveau
rich love to spend their money on cars, clothes, and, apparently,
booze.

9. Twins are Everywhere
If you find yourself doing double-takes every few minutes in Nigeria,
don’t worry, you’re not seeing things. Nigeria, and in particular the
Yoruba community, has a higher incidence of twin births than
anywhere else in the world (5% of all deliveries). Scientists are not
entirely sure why, but one theory is that yams, which are a dietary
staple in Yoruba culture, boost estrogen production and thus
increase fertility.

8. You Might Have a Hard Time With “Pidgin” English And Local
Slang
Many people speak English in Nigeria, but you may not understand
it. Pidgin English uses English as its base, but it has lots of
colloquialisms and local slang woven through it. For example, the
term “010” means to skip breakfast and dinner but eat lunch, while
“101” means to skip lunch but to eat breakfast and dinner.

7. It’s Got Africa’s Longest Bridge
The 11.8km (5-mile) long Third Mainland Bridge connects Lagos
Island to the mainland. It starts at Oworonshoki on the Lagos
mainland, and ends at Adeniji-Adele interchange on Lagos Island.

6. The country is half Muslim and half Christian
Islam is practiced by 50.8% of the population, while Christians
constitute 48.8%. The majority of Muslims are in the north and west,
and Christians tend to be in the south and east. Among Christians,
24.8% are Catholic, 74.1% are Protestant, and 0.9% belong to other
denominations.

5. The Walls of Benin
Depending on which source you cite, the ancient Walls of Benin are
the largest or second-largest man-made structure on earth (after the
Great Wall of China). Located in present day Benin City (in Edo
State), this series of stone walls, earthen ramparts, and deep moats
is 16,000 km long and spread over an area of 6500 sq km. It was
built between 800 and 1400 AD to protect the royal precinct of the
Oba (king).

4. Diversity of Languages
With over 500 languages, Nigeria is home to seven percent (7%) of
the all languages spoken on earth. Taraba state alone has more
languages than 30 other African countries combined. The most
common native languages are Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba, Ibibio, Edo,
Fulfulde, and Kanuri, while the most common non-native language
is English. English is widely spoken in urban areas and by educated
elites, but in rural parts of the country it is not spoken, or “pidgin”
English (a blend of English and native languages) is spoken.

3. It’s Famous for Butterflies
The area around Calabar, one of Nigeria’s regional hubs, contains
the world’s largest diversity of butterflies. A good way to see them
is to tour Cross River National Park, where over 300 species live,
including the gorgeous Papilio monachus, the unusual blue Iolaus
iasis, and the newly-discovered Tetrahanis okwangwo.

2. Nollywood is HUGE
Nigeria’s film industry is the second-largest in the world. Only
India’s film industry(known as “Bollywood”) is larger. Nollywood is
even larger in output than Hollywood, with over 100 releases every
year.

1. One-Fifth of Sub-Saharan Africa’s Population Lives There
Of the estimated one billion people that live in sub-Saharan Africa,
177 million of them are in Nigeria. And it’s rapidly growing. By the
year 2050, researchers estimate that the population will reach a
whopping 440 million higher than the population of USA. 50% of Nigerians live in cities, most notably greater Lagos, which has between 17 and 20 million residents.

Think Nigeria is all about traffic jams, internet scams and Boko
Haram? Wrong! This fascinating and diverse country is so much
more than that. The following tidbits about Nigeria’s history, wildlife,
people, and places might raise your eyebrows and make you
reconsider what you thought you knew about the country.

shalomiethehomie./2014/10/31/19-things-you-probably-didnt-know-about-nigeria/

As part of efforts to assist the federal government in reaching out to
the Nigeria Armed Forces, start-up carrier, Air Peace, is offering
N10, 000 air fare to each retired and serving military personnel on
all flights in the country, including business class.
Chairman of the airline Mr. Allen Onyema said this was part of his
contributions to support the military in carrying out its statutory
responsibility. He noted that the policy is in line with the practice in
the United States, where the military is given such assistance to
encourage them for what they have done and are doing for the
country.
The military he said, has played a huge role in keeping the nation
together since the civil war years till date.
He said it is only important to reward the efforts of the military
through this gesture.
Onyema said the military over the years has made huge sacrifice to
maintain peace and order in the country, which could only be
appreciated with the lower fare offer.
He disclosed this week at the unveiling of Air Peace at the departure
hall of the domestic wing of the Lagos Airport (GAT).
The Air Peace boss said the airline is committed to supporting the
Armed Forces and other institutions that are committed to the
harmonious coexistence of the country.
According to him, no business could grow if the country is not
enjoying an atmosphere of peace and stability, hence the need to
support the military and other institutions in carrying out their
statutory responsibility.
Onyema said his major objective in establishing the carrier is to
create jobs, although he knew that airline business has very small
margin of profit.
“We want to change the way thing are done in the air transport
industry in Nigeria. We want to put an end to animosities among the
airlines and to make domestic carriers to work together for the
benefit of Nigerians. Such unhealthy competition among the airlines
should belong to the past. The market is large enough for everyone
if we can only work together,” Onyema said.
He observed that air transport has not been made appealing to
Nigerians because of its high fares and the fact that airlines have
failed to collaborate to make air transport attractive and affordable
to the citizens.
Onyema said it is really embarrassing that less than two per cent of
the nation’s 170 million people travel by air, adding that if fares are
made affordable and there is cooperation among airlines, more
Nigerians would travel and the existing airlines would not even meet
the demand if about three per cent of the citizens travel by air.
“There is enough room for everybody so we need to cooperate to
make air travel better in Nigeria; although many Nigerians are afraid
to travel because of the sad issues of air crashes in the past. But air
travel is safer today because the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority
(NCAA) has improved safety through strict enforcement of
regulations,” he said.
The Chairman of Air Peace said the airline has set the pace for
cooperation, remarking that it is only in Nigeria that airlines do not
code-share, adding that Air Peace wished to partner with other
Nigerian airlines.
He commended other airlines in the country, including Aero, Azman
Airline, Discovery Air, Dana Air, Overland Airways, First Nation,
Medview Airline and Arik Air, remarking that Arik has changed the
face of air transport industry in Nigeria.
Onyema said Air Peace has introduced wifi for passengesr and
Peace Miles to encourage the airlines customers so that when the
passenger accumulates a certain number of miles he can be
upgraded to business class.
He said that the airline has seven aircraft in its fleet and a highly
motivated staff, adding that the airline is already sustaining over
250 jobs and is employing more Nigerians.

www.thisdaylive.com/articles/start-up-carrier-offers-nigerian-military-personnel-n10-000-air-fare/192078/

Obiagelli:
How about gej over fashola in the south west or Okorocha over Buhari in the north east?

Of all the polls conducted by NOI since 2011 non was wrong... It's the closest to reality, theirs is not based on online voting but rather phone contacts I think. APC should note areas they need to work on.

This is good news...but does it involve forfeiting capture territories? or is BH going to pull out of does areas? If not, we don enter one chance simple. So its actually possible to negotiate with BH all these years and FG simply refuse and prefer using it as election tool. God help us from our leaders!

This is good news...but does it involve forfeiting capture territories? or is BH going to pull out of does areas? If not, we don enter one chance simple. So its actually possible to negotiate with BH all these years and FG simply refuse and prefer using it as election tool. God help us from our leaders!

Good news